Al Harris might hold out training camp.

[Scott Campbell]

Editorial from PFT:

HARRIS MIGHT SKIP CAMP

The Packers could be facing their second holdout in three seasons by a cornerback with long-ass hair.

In 2004, it was Mike McKenzie who skipped all offseason sessions, missed training camp, and finally reported early in the regular season. He eventually was traded to the Saints.

That same year, cornerback Al Harris signed a new six-year contract. Two seasons in, he wants more.

And although his agent previously has said that Harris, who has been absent for voluntary offseason workouts, will report for training camp, Harris is now signing a different tune.

"It's not 100%, that's for sure," Harris said, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "I'd like to come and do my job, but everyone's got to be fair, too. It's going to be interesting to see how it plays out.

"I've got to do what's best for me and my family," Harris added. "And now we're on the clock. I'm not getting any younger, so I have to take a business approach to it." (Harris will be 32 on December 7.)

Under his current deal, Harris received $7 million in bonuses. His base salaries over the remainder of the contract are $1.5 million in 2006, $2.2 million in 2007, $2.85 million in 2008 and $3 million in 2009.

Now, he regrets the decision to commit himself to those numbers.

"I should have waited to see what the market dictated," he told the Journal-Sentinel. "But I didn't want to leave Green Bay and there's a lot of times you see guys price themselves right out of the league."

The fact that the Packers gave cornerback Charles Woodson a big-money deal probably has had a role in the current stance of the team's former No. 1 cover man. But, as a practical matter, Harris has little leverage. He's under contract for four more seasons, and he potentially faces a significant bonus forfeiture if he misses even one training camp practice -- depending on the specific language of his contract and whether and to what extent new CBA restrictions apply retroactively. (If Harris doesn't think that could happen to him, he should give his former teammate Mike McKenzie a call.)

So when Harris rolls out current king of the hackneyed cliche' -- "It is what it is" -- Harris needs to be sure he understands what the "is" really "is" before he "is" in position to be paying back a lot of money that already "is" in his bank account.

And if that happens, it won't be long before Mrs. Harris "is" knee deep in Al's ass.

[gureski]

Guarentee him some more of his contract and throw in int, tackle, prow bowl and Super Bowl incentives.

That means that he has goals so if he hits them more $$ and he is set with some $$ if he gets hurt.

Thats fair for a guy that has played lights out on our team and has been a team guy.

You're on the right track but you haven't hit it exactly. The answer to this dilemna is for the Packers to turn some of Harris's incentive bonus money into easy to achieve bonuses. You don't rework the deal. YOu can't set that precident but you can easily maneuver some bonus language so that he gets more money this year and the problem goes away.

In all honesty, moving bonus money around to give a guy a raise happens all the time in the NFL. It's not a big deal and I don't consider it re-doing a guys deal. It's just not at that level. It's just a tweak. The deal stays the same but you tweak some of the bonus language so a possible bonus turns into a probable bonus.

The Packers need to give on this one and put this rash of players demanding money behind them. They took stands with McKenzie and Walker and were right to do so. The difference with Harris is that Harris isn't demanding what those guys were (to my knowledge). RIght or wrong he wants a raise. On the field, Harris has earned a raise. Yeah, he should play out the deal he signed and he's demented to think he's not being treated fairly but he's obviously hurt by the money they gave Woodson and Kampman and if a little tweaking of bonus money in a season where the team has oodles of cap room is all it will take to shut him up then do it. That's best for the team. He was a team guy up to this point and he will more then likely earn whatever money you redirect his way. There really is no harm in redirecting bonus money so that he gets his raise.

It's a shame this is getting into the papers. THompson should've tweaked the bonus money sooner so cut this off.

IF Harris is demanding a full redo and not just a little bonus money moved around then you have to call his bluff and see if he no-shows training camp. You CANNOT redo contracts that have 4 years or more left on them and set precidents or else every yahoo on the team will constantly try to renegotiate.

So again...you don't redo the deal. YOu just tweak the bonus language. That should be enough to fix this whole thing.

[Scott Campbell]

So again...you don't redo the deal. YOu just tweak the bonus language. That should be enough to fix this whole thing.

That's a sensible win/win that I could live with.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I would hope that the GM would NEVER give a raise to a player who holds out. The GM should prevent holdouts by redoing contracts that are significantly out of line.

The error Thompson made with Walker was in not making an effort to prevent his initial holdout. (Well, if the reports that Thompson refused to negotiate are true, and you beleive as I do that Walker was underpaid.) Perhaps Thompson & Walker would not have been able to arrive at an agreement anyway. We only know that Walker's public, opening bargaining position was a very big number.

[ny10804]

I say give him a moderate bonus -- 250,000 -- as well as playing/Pro Bowl incentives. Pay the man! I could wait a couple more years till Ahmad is back in the starting lineup!

Again. That's like giving money to kidnappers. You'll just encourage others to do the same thing.

Let the other players know that you'll only end up hurting yourself if you hold out.

I'm sure that the players respect Al enough to understand his situation. Think about it, who would complain: KGB has a large deal, Pickett and Aaron just signed theirs, the other DTs have no business demanding a new deal, Nick Barnett is a free agent in 2007 and his contract will probably be extended this year, AJ Hawk and Abdul Hodge will be getting their deals shortly, Ben Taylor got his, C-Wood just signed his, Nick Collins, Roy Manning, and others are only one year players. On the defensive side of the ball, I think giving Al a bonus will have no ill effects.

[KYPack]

Guarentee him some more of his contract and throw in int, tackle, prow bowl and Super Bowl incentives.

That means that he has goals so if he hits them more $$ and he is set with some $$ if he gets hurt.

Thats fair for a guy that has played lights out on our team and has been a team guy.

You're on the right track but you haven't hit it exactly. The answer to this dilemna is for the Packers to turn some of Harris's incentive bonus money into easy to achieve bonuses. You don't rework the deal. YOu can't set that precident but you can easily maneuver some bonus language so that he gets more money this year and the problem goes away.

In all honesty, moving bonus money around to give a guy a raise happens all the time in the NFL. It's not a big deal and I don't consider it re-doing a guys deal. It's just not at that level. It's just a tweak. The deal stays the same but you tweak some of the bonus language so a possible bonus turns into a probable bonus.

The Packers need to give on this one and put this rash of players demanding money behind them. They took stands with McKenzie and Walker and were right to do so. The difference with Harris is that Harris isn't demanding what those guys were (to my knowledge). RIght or wrong he wants a raise. On the field, Harris has earned a raise. Yeah, he should play out the deal he signed and he's demented to think he's not being treated fairly but he's obviously hurt by the money they gave Woodson and Kampman and if a little tweaking of bonus money in a season where the team has oodles of cap room is all it will take to shut him up then do it. That's best for the team. He was a team guy up to this point and he will more then likely earn whatever money you redirect his way. There really is no harm in redirecting bonus money so that he gets his raise.

It's a shame this is getting into the papers. THompson should've tweaked the bonus money sooner so cut this off.

IF Harris is demanding a full redo and not just a little bonus money moved around then you have to call his bluff and see if he no-shows training camp. You CANNOT redo contracts that have 4 years or more left on them and set precidents or else every yahoo on the team will constantly try to renegotiate.

So again...you don't redo the deal. YOu just tweak the bonus language. That should be enough to fix this whole thing.

I dunno, G.

He's due to earn a cool million in LTBE bonus for '06 already.

If you change that, it's a redo.

He has 4 years left on his deal, so as you said, they can't redo it.

Maybe I'm missing something,

I think he'll be there when Woodson is, Harris is just trying to make his point.

[Scott Campbell]

Vasher returns to Bears practice without new deal
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

Absent from the Chicago Bears' on-field workouts the past two weeks because of dissatisfaction over his contract, Pro Bowl cornerback Nathan Vasher has returned for the final three days of organized activities, and has suggested that his boycott got the attention of team officials.

What it did not get Vasher, however, was the raise he was seeking. And it almost certainly earned him a demotion entering training camp.

Two other Bears starters, tailback Thomas Jones and Pro Bowl weakside linebacker Lance Briggs, were dropped on the depth chart by coach Lovie Smith because they skipped the voluntary workouts, even though both were on hand for a mandatory three-day minicamp. Vasher participated in the opening weeks of the organized team activities and the minicamp, but then missed the past two weeks of the club's voluntary practices.

In his absence, fourth-year veteran cornerback Ricky Manning Jr., signed by the Bears as a restricted free agent this spring and projected as the No. 1 nickel defender, has lined up at cornerback with the first unit. The cornerback on the left side remains Charles Tillman.

"For the time being," Vasher said, "I have to be content with my position."

At the root of Vasher's unrest is a contract his representatives claim makes him only the 131st highest paid cornerback in the league. Vasher, 24, has two seasons remaining on the four-year, $1.77 million contract that he signed as a fourth-round choice in the 2004 draft. He is due base salaries of $425,000 for 2006 and of $460,000 for 2007, although he could earn an "escalator" in the latter year. Vasher's agent has proposed a one-year extension that does not affect the 2006-07 base salaries.

General manager Jerry Angelo has steadfastly maintained the Bears have a policy against reworking a player's contract after only two seasons.

There is no denying Vasher has been a bargain for the Bears, earning $945,000 in bonuses and salaries in his first two seasons, and performing at a high level. In 32 appearances, including 22 starts, the former University of Texas standout has 87 tackles, 13 interceptions, 23 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. In 15 starts in 2005, he registered eight interceptions and earned a Pro Bowl berth.

What he may have to re-earn now is the starting position that he claimed early last season when incumbent right cornerback Jerry Azumah was injured. Vasher said that, even with his contract situation unresolved, he will report to training camp on time next month.

"Coach Smith always has told us that, when the season begins, the best players will play, and I believe he'll continue to go by that," Vasher said. "Having a fair shot to start is all we can ask for. So if I have to win my way back out there, then that's just how it is."

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.

[gureski]

I would hope that the GM would NEVER give a raise to a player who holds out. The GM should prevent holdouts by redoing contracts that are significantly out of line.

The error Thompson made with Walker was in not making an effort to prevent his initial holdout. (Well, if the reports that Thompson refused to negotiate are true, and you beleive as I do that Walker was underpaid.) Perhaps Thompson & Walker would not have been able to arrive at an agreement anyway. We only know that Walker's public, opening bargaining position was a very big number.

I don't think THompson made a mistake with Walker. YOu had a guy who had produced one year immediately knocking on the door for more money. He had to hold his ground on that one.

With Harris, you have a proven commodity and an established market for what he's worth. The only factor with Harris that is in the way is the fact that he signed the 6 year deal! You can't let a guy sign a long-term deal and then rip it up a couple years later or all the players will want to do this. The best thing he can do is rewrite some bonus language and if that's not enough for Harris then you have to go down the hard road once again. It's a damn shame but you can't let a guy redo a fair deal that he just signed a couple years ago. You can give an inch but you have to stand hard and hold against the mile.

[gureski]

Another point that's worth reiterating is that there is a difference between tweaking bonus language and redoing the entire deal. Tweaking bonus language happens all the time in the NFL. It's an easy way that teams work the cap and reward players. You write bonus language in....turn some things into easy to attain bonuses....it's done every year more then we know because in some cases the teams need these tools to stay under the cap.

With that said, you're not setting a precident if you redo the bonus language for Harris. That precident is already there and it's just not a big deal. You have to draw the line in redoing the deal. You draw the line in ripping up the old deal and replacing it with a new, more lucrative deal. You just can't let a guy sign a 6 year deal for a decent sum of money and then allow him to rip it up 2 years into it.

[MJZiggy]

Gureski, does that include adding major roster bonuses? Because according to the Wilde article that someone posted (that directly contradicts an article someone else posted) he wants 4-5 million dollar roster bonuses added and 1.2-1.5 million pro bowl incentives as well.

[woodbuck27]

Notes: Harris' threat handled carefully
McCarthy refuses to speak his mind

By TODD ROSIAK
trosiak@journalsentinel.com

Posted: June 21, 2006

Green Bay - There wasn't much reaction Wednesday from the Green Bay Packers' camp with regard to Al Harris, as the team wrapped up its 14th and final day of voluntary off-season practices.

Harris said Tuesday night that he'd consider not showing up for the start of training camp on July 28.

He signed a six-year, $18.635 million contract extension in September 2004 but has skipped all the team's voluntary workouts over the past few months to demonstrate his unhappiness with the deal.

Following practice in the Don Hutson Center, coach Mike McCarthy said he wasn't interested in publicly sparring with Harris.

"I'm not going to discuss contracts. We don't do that in the media. I don't believe in communicating through the media," he said. "All the conversations I've been a part of as far as Al Harris I've been told over and over again he's nothing but a true professional. He's always comes in shape, (been an) extremely hard worker and I don't think that's going to change."

The Packers have been without both their projected starting cornerbacks - Harris and Charles Woodson - throughout June.

Woodson, who signed a seven-year, $39.03 million deal with Green Bay in the off-season, did not show up last week or this week, despite McCarthy's hopes he might.

Skeleton crew: Aside from Harris, the Packers' secondary was also sans cornerbacks Jason Horton, WillBlackmon, Ahmad Carroll, Mike Hawkins and Jerron Wishom and safeties Mark Roman, Marquand Manuel, Marviel Underwood and Nick Collins on Wednesday.

That left them with just five defensive backs - cornerbacks Patrick Dendy and Therrian Fontenot and safeties TraBoger, Tyrone Culver and Atari Bigby.

"We were worried about it, obviously, because we slowed some things down and put some water breaks in between periods," said McCarthy. "But it's a great opportunity for all those guys and I think they had a good day."

Roll call: Quarterback Brett Favre was excused and left town Tuesday.

Running backs Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport, linebacker Tracy White, center Wayne Lucier, tight end BubbaFranks, wide receiver Robert Ferguson and defensive tackle Corey Williams were also absent.

Injured but present were running back Arliss Beach, tight end Garrett Cross, linebackers Brady Poppinga and NickBarnett, center Chris White and tackles Adrian Klemm and Chad Clifton.

Center Scott Wells and defensive tackle Colin Cole returned.

Injury update: McCarthy said he expected Clifton and Klemm to be ready to participate at the open of training camp.

Green and Davenport, meanwhile, he wasn't so sure about.

"I would say if we had to go play a game in training camp that I think those guys would be ready," he said. "We're just going to be smart on an individual basis."

McCarthy also said Poppinga appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from knee surgery.



From the June 22, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

[woodbuck27]

Gureski, does that include adding major roster bonuses? Because according to the Wilde article that someone posted (that directly contradicts an article someone else posted) he wants 4-5 million dollar roster bonuses added and 1.2-1.5 million pro bowl incentives as well.

Yup !

In September 2004, Harris signed a $18.635 million extension, which added five years onto his existing deal and contained $7 million in bonuses. Thus, Harris is under contract through 2009 and is scheduled to earn base salaries of $1.5 million this season, $2.2 million in '07, $2.85 million in '08 and $3 million in '09.

Asked if, with four years remaining on his contract, he's negotiating from a position of strength, Harris replied,

"Not really. But I think I've got a strong case from (the standpoint of) how I've played and what I'm asking for. I'm pretty sensitive to the general manager (Ted Thompson). He doesn't want everybody coming up there after they just signed a deal. I understand. But I'm not even asking for any money this year."

Instead, what Harris wants is a pair of roster bonuses - the first payable next March and the second payable in March 2008 - worth $4 to $5 million and incentive bonuses worth $1.25 to $1.5 million if he makes the Pro Bowl.

[Dabaddestbear]

Funny how Karma works.

Yeah, funny.

Carolina did not match the offer for Manning, who was arrested for suspicion of assault Sunday night in Los Angeles after an altercation at a restaurant.

Yeah you telling me...lol.

[Scott Campbell]

Funny how Karma works.

Yeah, funny.

Carolina did not match the offer for Manning, who was arrested for suspicion of assault Sunday night in Los Angeles after an altercation at a restaurant.

Yeah you telling me...lol.

I haven't read much on this lately. Do you and the folks in Chicago think he could do jail time? Wasn't he already on probation?

[woodbuck27]

Funny how Karma works.

Yeah, funny.

Carolina did not match the offer for Manning, who was arrested for suspicion of assault Sunday night in Los Angeles after an altercation at a restaurant.

Yeah you telling me...lol.

I haven't read much on this lately. Do you and the folks in Chicago think he could do jail time? Wasn't he already on probation?

It's no BIG deal Scott acording to Manning:

The court date to set a preliminary hearing for an assault charge on cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. was pushed from Wednesday to July 6. Manning has pleaded not guilty to the felony charge.

"I'm not really worried about the charge," Manning said.